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Fish sauce?

Happy w/e Guys !!! I'm about to try the sticky wing recipie necessary indulgences posted awhile ago but my fish sauce is over two years old in the fridge.Is it ok to use? Anyone ever marinate wings in it before,seems kinda odd ?

Thanks
Hows ya gettin' on, me ol ****



Kippens.Newfoundland and Labrador. (Canada).
«1

Comments

  • Fish sauce is good in anything, including marinating.  I'd say your fish sauce is just fine (but don't smell it).
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,411
    Check the label.  Tiparos (my go-to for adding to soups, stews, etc) states do NOT store it in the frig; like you, mine was in there for a couple years and it actually had, I thought, ice crystals in it as it made slushy sounds when I pulled it out.  It still made those sounds a few hours later at room temperature :-O so it was gingerly placed in the trash!  My new bottle sits on the counter, per directions.
    On the other hand, my premium bottle of Red Boat, used for dipping sauces and a bit pricey, states on the label to keep it in the frig, so I have.  No rattling sounds yet.  
    I wouldn't marinate anything in it straight, but as an addition to the marinade, go for it!
     
    I've learned a lot from the experiments done by Cook's Illustrated magazine lately, regarding Umami, the "fifth" taste and defined by "savoriness".  Two compounds boost this property, Glutamates and Nucleotides.  These compounds are found separately in a few foods (soy sauce, mushrooms, beef, fish sauce, etc) but I can't remember which was found in which.  What I did adopt was a container of dried powdered porcini mushrooms, and a bottle of fish sauce, constantly next to the stove.
    Either glutamates or nucleotides boost the "umami" of any food they're added to, but when they're BOTH present, they multiply the effect many times!  The folks at Cook's did some experimenting, and found the ultimate ratio was 1:1 between the porcini powder and fish sauce; in other words, a pot of soup which has both two teaspoons of powder and two teaspoons of fish sauce added (you don't need much) maximizes the "umami" of the soup.  
    The first time I tried this, my mouth was watering like the beginning of the meal, at the END of my second bowl of soup!  It really makes things taste good!   
    _____________

    Scurvy:  when Life doesn't give you lemons


  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,869
    By chance do you remember the issue as I must have missed that somehow? I love several soups that I make and freeze for "make ahead meals" so your soup comment really caught my eye. TIA
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • CANMAN1976
    CANMAN1976 Posts: 1,593
    Botch said:
    Check the label.  Tiparos (my go-to for adding to soups, stews, etc) states do NOT store it in the frig; like you, mine was in there for a couple years and it actually had, I thought, ice crystals in it as it made slushy sounds when I pulled it out.  It still made those sounds a few hours later at room temperature :-O so it was gingerly placed in the trash!  My new bottle sits on the counter, per directions.
    On the other hand, my premium bottle of Red Boat, used for dipping sauces and a bit pricey, states on the label to keep it in the frig, so I have.  No rattling sounds yet.  
    I wouldn't marinate anything in it straight, but as an addition to the marinade, go for it!
     
    I've learned a lot from the experiments done by Cook's Illustrated magazine lately, regarding Umami, the "fifth" taste and defined by "savoriness".  Two compounds boost this property, Glutamates and Nucleotides.  These compounds are found separately in a few foods (soy sauce, mushrooms, beef, fish sauce, etc) but I can't remember which was found in which.  What I did adopt was a container of dried powdered porcini mushrooms, and a bottle of fish sauce, constantly next to the stove.
    Either glutamates or nucleotides boost the "umami" of any food they're added to, but when they're BOTH present, they multiply the effect many times!  The folks at Cook's did some experimenting, and found the ultimate ratio was 1:1 between the porcini powder and fish sauce; in other words, a pot of soup which has both two teaspoons of powder and two teaspoons of fish sauce added (you don't need much) maximizes the "umami" of the soup.  
    The first time I tried this, my mouth was watering like the beginning of the meal, at the END of my second bowl of soup!  It really makes things taste good!   
    Wow Botch you really know your fish sauce.The wings are marinating in a fish sauce,sugar,ginger and garlic mixture.Tomorrow I'll grill em up and baste with a mixture of the FS marinade and red curry paste...hope it gives some umami satisfaction!!!!
    Hows ya gettin' on, me ol ****



    Kippens.Newfoundland and Labrador. (Canada).
  • Aviator
    Aviator Posts: 1,757
    Botch said:
    Two compounds boost this property, Glutamates and Nucleotides.  These compounds are found separately in a few foods

    @botch, glutamates= MSG. Glutamic acid, a powerful neurotransmitter in the central and peripheral nervous system. ALL meats and protein sources probably have it.

    Nucleotides are basic protein chains that make your DNA. ALL animal and veg (living) have it.

    Cooks illustrated "experiments" revealed these? like Al Gore found the internet.

    :))

    ______________________________________________ 

    Large and Small BGE, Blackstone 36 and a baby black Kub.

    Chattanooga, TN.

     

  • I know people say fish sauce smells bad, but does it make food taste fishy?  I bought a bottle awhile back but each time I see it on the shelf, I just slowly slink away.  
  • EggNorth
    EggNorth Posts: 1,535
    Throw it out - your heart will love you for it.   Fish sauce is just liquid sodium.   1200 mg a day is recommended ... how much is in that bottle per "serving"?  Can't understand why anyone would use this product.
    Dave
    Cambridge, Ontario - Canada
    Large (2010), Mini Max (2015), Large garden pot (2018)
  • Fish sauce is good in anything, including marinating.  I'd say your fish sauce is just fine (but don't smell it).
    I would concur with this assessment.  I also like Marmite.

    XXL #82 out of the first 100, XLGE X 2, LBGE (gave this one to daughter 1.0) , MBGE (now in the hands of iloveagoodyoke daughter 2.0) and lots of toys

  • TonyA
    TonyA Posts: 583
    Whoa whoa whoa! Lets not go throwing "=MSG" around here. Don't you remember that stuff nearly killed folks back in the late 80s and early 90s?! Oh, that didn't happen? Sorry.

    At any rate, what Cooks is trying to capitalize on is the utilization of naturally occurring glutamates as opposed to their sodium salt equivalent. This is semi relevant since MSG has for better or worse a pretty bad rap.

    The prestige is binding it with open protein chains and the third part they leave out which I'm guessing is fat to enhance flavor and mouthfeel.
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    EggNorth said:

    Throw it out - your heart will love you for it.   Fish sauce is just liquid sodium.   1200 mg a day is recommended ... how much is in that bottle per "serving"?  Can't understand why anyone would use this product.

    You must be fun at parties.

    Fish sauce has 690mg per serving(1 tbsp)

    Considering most recipes call for around 2 tsp
    (460mg or so) and that recipe serves 6-8, you're getting maybe 80mg per serving. My fish sauce is water, anchovies, salt, and sugar.

    I use it because it allows me to add less salt to a recipe to get the same flavors to come through.

    Hope this helps. :D
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414

    I know people say fish sauce smells bad, but does it make food taste fishy?  I bought a bottle awhile back but each time I see it on the shelf, I just slowly slink away.  

    It does not add any "fishy" flavor to food, it just enhances savory flavors(makes beef taste beefier, for example).
  • Thanks Eggcelsior.  What could you recommend as a first try for fish sauce since I'm serving a skeptical family?  We are into stir-frys.  Also, I had read once that adding it to ground beef for burgers is terrific.  Others said they didn't taste good.  Suggestions?  I'm  guessing a little goes a long way, like with worcestershire sauce. Thanks for any help you can give.  
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    @khristyjeff,
    It does a similar thing to food that Worcestershire sauce does in terms of umami, so any food that has a savory profile can accept it. Stir fry, burgers, chili, beef stew, braised chicken...
  • Thanks.  I appreciate the tips, and will try it out.
  • I never tell people that I have added fish sauce. They never know its there. They just think I am a great cook ;). I usually reduce the salt I add to dishes when I use it to compensate for the addition of sodium. 
  • @khristyjeff, It does a similar thing to food that Worcestershire sauce does in terms of umami, so any food that has a savory profile can accept it. Stir fry, burgers, chili, beef stew, braised chicken...
    I guess it would since Worcestershire sauce is fish sauce.

    Gerhard
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    First time I used fish sauce was from this recipe

    It was really good. It is a south beach recipe hence the sugsr substitute. I think I used agave nectar.


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • Aviator
    Aviator Posts: 1,757

    All that being said, I do have to admit that I use that stuff.

    I just don't tell anybody whats in the food that tastes good.

    ______________________________________________ 

    Large and Small BGE, Blackstone 36 and a baby black Kub.

    Chattanooga, TN.

     

  • yzzi
    yzzi Posts: 1,843
    Fish sauce smells terrible. I would never try it straight up, but you can't have authentic thai food without it. Nor can you get the same results by subbing regular salt or soy sauce. It's definitely a secret recipe in my house since my wife hates anything from the sea. I say it's like duck sauce, it's not made from duck, it's made for duck.
    Dunedin, FL
  • That's why Worcestershire sauce is so good, anchovies!
    "If you have the means, I highly recommend it." - Ferris Bueller
  • EggNorth
    EggNorth Posts: 1,535
    Throw it out - your heart will love you for it.   Fish sauce is just liquid sodium.   1200 mg a day is recommended ... how much is in that bottle per "serving"?  Can't understand why anyone would use this product.
    You must be fun at parties. Fish sauce has 690mg per serving(1 tbsp) Considering most recipes call for around 2 tsp (460mg or so) and that recipe serves 6-8, you're getting maybe 80mg per serving. My fish sauce is water, anchovies, salt, and sugar. I use it because it allows me to add less salt to a recipe to get the same flavors to come through. Hope this helps. :D
    I am the sodium police!     :-*   Thanks for the info.
    Dave
    Cambridge, Ontario - Canada
    Large (2010), Mini Max (2015), Large garden pot (2018)
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,411
    RRP said:
    By chance do you remember the issue as I must have missed that somehow? I love several soups that I make and freeze for "make ahead meals" so your soup comment really caught my eye. TIA
     
    RRP, I can't find the original article, it was probably a "side discovery" from tinkering on a recipe.  In the Jul/aug '13 issue they did a taste testing of commercial chicken broths.  Swanson Chicken Stock came in first, and it had the highest percentage of protein (ie "chicken") of the broths tested.
     
    The surprise though was the second-place winner: Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base.  Its in concentrated form in a jar, and what caught my eye was that it keeps in the frig for a couple years.  Because I live alone I often use a little bit of chicken broth and end up wasting the rest (I can't find the 4-oz boxes of broth Swanson's used to make, those were great for me).  The surprise came in that it had the LOWEST percentage of protein, yet tasted better than the rest.  
     
    The trick, again, was increased glutamates (glutamic acid, of which MSG is a crystallized form) and increased nucleotides (in Better than Bouillon, it was disodium inosinate and guanylate).  I think I'll stick to powdered porcini and natural fish sauce, and chicken wings for stock aren't That expensive!  
    _____________

    Scurvy:  when Life doesn't give you lemons


  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,411
    Oh, and I wanted to post a neat video of how fish sauce is made; not for the squeamish!   ;)
     
    _____________

    Scurvy:  when Life doesn't give you lemons


  • There's a cool story about how Worcestershire sauce was invented.  I'm going on memory here, so forgive any inaccuracies.

    A rich Englishman from Worcestershire went East and fell in love with somethin akin to fish sauce.  He came back and hired two pharmacists (Lea & Perrin) to duplicate it.  They worked really hard but the results were really bad.  They put it on a shelf and forgot about it for a time.  Then, when opened later, they were delighted. Thus, Worcestershire Sauce was born.
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • CANMAN1976
    CANMAN1976 Posts: 1,593
    So i'm reducing the FS and red curry paste glaze mixture for my wings on the stove as we speak and it still smells fishy still but oddly enough i cant stop tasting it...theres just something I like about it. 

    Hope it mellows a bit more before the wife and kids try it.
    :-?
    Hows ya gettin' on, me ol ****



    Kippens.Newfoundland and Labrador. (Canada).
  • bvc
    bvc Posts: 37
    Up until about 12 months ago, I rarely used fish sauce as I couldn't ever get far past the smell to enjoy it.  Now, I use it all the time and almost daily add a couple of drops on my fried eggs in the morning.  Do yourself a favor and get some Red Boat.  It really is that much better and worth the price. 

    One wing recipe that I have used a couple of times now and been modifying it a little each time for my tastes is this one:

    http://nomnompaleo.com/post/41698330146/whole30-day-28-chile-lime-chicken-wings

    I also was working on one last summer that I should revisit is a lemongrass/fish sauce marinade that I will try and find my recipe for later to add to this thread.  
    Kenmore, WA
    Large and Small BGE
  • CANMAN1976
    CANMAN1976 Posts: 1,593
    Well that bombed !!! The wife hated it couldn't even stand the smell of the wings.Kids Ate a few and I didn't really like them either.Maybe it was crappy fish sauce or I just used to much of it?
    Oh we'll live and learn!!!!
    Hows ya gettin' on, me ol ****



    Kippens.Newfoundland and Labrador. (Canada).
  • A little goes a long way, you probably over did it.  It is like most things in seasoning if you over power the flavour of the food you are doing it wrong.

    Gerhard
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,704
    Sorry to hear that your cook didn't turn out so well. Chalk one up to experience.

    We started using fish sauce more after a trip to Thailand a couple of years ago. The Thais are masters of flavor melding IMO. A little goes a long way, and I wouldn't use it as the main component in a marinade.

    Traditionally, fish sauce was unrefrigerated. The crystals that sometimes form in the bottle are not toxic - I've seen that happen with cheaper brands.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,411
    I was worried when you said you were marinating the wings in it, and then boiling down the marinade for a sauce; how much fish sauce did you originally start out with?  I've never used more than 2 teaspoons in any dish, and usually much less.  
    Did you try any wings without sauce, just marinated?  
    _____________

    Scurvy:  when Life doesn't give you lemons